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An exclusive walking tour through well preserved historical texture of Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim communities in Fener and Balat’s narrow streets and slopes surrounded by stylish artisan coffee shops, art workshops and antique shops.

Destination

Istanbul, Turkey

Category

Art Culture Tours

Duration

4 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English

Included

• Private guide

Excluded

• Meals
• Beverages

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Mine .

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Istanbul to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Meeting point:

   St. Stephan Bulgarian Church

4. Bulgarian Church

   Visit gorgeous St. Stephan Bulgarian Church (the Iron Church) and hear out their history in Fener

5. Ottoman History

   See Cantemir Palace and hear out the story of this 18th century Ottoman intellectual

6. Architectural Masterpiece

   Walk through an architectural masterpiece, the Greek (Red) School. It’s the most stunning building in the neighbourhood with its Disneyland castle look.

7. Colourful Streets

   Walk through amazing art workshops, old Jewish Bazaar, pubs, antique shops and colorful buildings.

8. Holy Place

   Visit Surp Hresdagabet Gregorian Armenian Church (surprisingly former Orthodox church with its holy spring)

9. Local dessert

   A delightful break for a local dessert

10. Jewish Heritage

    An outline of Ahrida and Yanbol synagogues as well as Jewish heritage in Balat

11. Beautiful Churches

    Visit the unobtrusive Orthodox Patriarchate of Fener and Hagios Georgios Church inside.

12. Old City Walls

    Hear out the war history of Byzantine city walls while passing by.

13. Magical Mosque

    Visit Sultan Selim Mosque learn its history which dates back to 16th century

14. End of the tour

    Suggestions for local meals and/or more coffee shops

15. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Henriette

16 May 2025

What a great day we had with Mine in Dolmabahce, Royal Mosque and spice market!!!!!!What a great day!

Teddy

10 February 2025

Knowledgeable - historically and culturally, enthusiastic, flexible, outgoing, best advices ever, and truely sympathetic…so we love Mine!We love Mine

Kirsty

6 December 2024

Mine - met me and took me all around Fener and Balat. It involved a lot of walking but well worth it. Her historical knowledges of the the area - the people and the mosques, churches and synagogues was phenomenal and really interesting. The whole area is historical and quite beautiful. Balat's buildings and streets are both historical and beautiful - but get there sooner rather than later as the place is being gentrified. It still has a village feeling. Thoroughly enjoyed my tour. Mine went above and beyond travelling with me on the metro and making sure I got on the right lines and showed my how to use the system! Which was great because it is a bit daunting at first. Also for all those animal lovers - Mine is a saint, feeding the stray cats on her way and if you know Istanbul and culture this is a good thing and all about karma. Thank you Mine - highly recommend this tour to anyone!!!One of the best tours and guide ever!!!

Marisa🇿🇦 South Africa

7 October 2024

This was my favourite part of Istanbul. Mine took us on an incredible journey through time and cultures walking streets which quickly became a favourite. Filled with history, unique places and people, shops and restaurants that feel removed from the commercialism of the tourism industry and truly authentic. Loved every minute of it and spent time afterward meandering the streets she introduced us too. You need to experience this

Joseph 🇦🇺 Australia

14 September 2024

Mine is absolutely fascinating. She picked my star sign and showed me parts of Istanbul , Relatable and Fenner forgive spellings that were absolutely unique. When I return next year I will be doing a tour with her on Sinan the great architect. Such passion and how endearing is she with cats. 200 Islamic sects

Colin🇬🇧 United Kingdom

19 May 2024

This was our second tour with Mine in 2 days, the first one was the Bazaar, Spice Bazaar and hidden Backstreets tour - highly recommended. This one was different, Balat and Fener being unknown to us but the description of the tour was fascinating so we took the plunge. How pleased we were to do so. Mine is meticulous with her planning. We were messaged the day before (as per previous tour) for meeting place confirmation with a Google maps location - highly reassuring and making travel to the point easy. As it turned out, we arrived early, getting a quick lunch in advance of the afternoon’s tour and we texted her to say where we were, she then came to our location to prevent rushing our food and starting the tour on a relaxed and efficient footing. Mine’s knowledge was fantastic. Her commentaries of items / sights in between the bigger stops were truly enlightening and reinforced her confidence with the subjects being discussed. We can’t recommend Mine highly enough. If you’re interested in this tour - go for it - you’ll enjoy…..Fascinating….!

John🇺🇸 United States

17 May 2024

We had two nice days with Mine, and both were excellent. She was prompt, friendly, and very knowledgable. We learned far more about Istanbul in these two days than we ever could have on our own. I would highly recommend Mine to all guests visiting her city.A Wonderful Experience

Kshitij🇮🇳 India

20 August 2023

Mine is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul, the history of Religion, Architecture, and just about anything and everything! She’s a perfect guide! We took her Fenner and Balat tour, which is a wonderful experience if you are curious about the history of Istanbul. You will see a Bulgarian Church, an Orthodox Church, an Armenian Church, a Synagogue, and the Fatih Mosque (mosque of Sultan Memhmed II who conquered Constantinople and ended the Roman Empire) - all in a single walking tour! You will also learn how each sect is different from the other and about how the politics evolved around each of them in Istanbul. It’s a wonderful leaning experience.History Savant!

Ferrel🇺🇸 United States

19 June 2022

I thoroughly enjoyed my 4 hours+ with Mine. She is genuinely enthusiastic with an impressive knowledge of art, history, and contemporary culture. I learned so much more about both past and present than I would have if I had been left to explore Fener and Balat on my own. Mine pointed out many details I would have missed, while also remaining responsive to my interests and questions. I also appreciate her willingness to share more about her own experiences, adding to the sense that I was getting to know the culture more fully. Reaching this area was easier than I supposed --just a short bus ride on any of the #99 buses leaving the transportation hub of Eminönü. Be sure to have a good breakfast before your tour. Had I requested it, Mine would have allowed for a food stop, but there was really so much to see and learn on this tour that I would have missed out on something well worth seeing if we had stopped.enriching half day in a fascinating area

Wolfgang🇨🇭 Switzerland

7 June 2022

Mine hat uns auf ihrer 4-stündigen Tour einen tollen Einblick in das lebhafte Fener & Balat Quartier gegeben. Wir haben viel gelernt über die Geschichte, die unterschiedlichen Kulturen und Religionen und auch das Leben heute in diesem überaus spannenden Teil von Istanbul. Mine kennt das Quartier, seine Vergangenheit und auch seine Gegenwart und sie hat uns ihr Wissen auf eine lebhafte und vergnügliche vermittelt. Ich kann Mine als Tourguide nur bestens empfehlen!Eine spannende Tour durch das kulturell vielseitige Fener & Balat

Ales🇸🇮 Slovenia

1 November 2021

Istanbul is one of our favorite cities, we always like to return. We’ve already seen Istanbul’s must see attractions, so we wanted to discover something new. And for sure we took the right decision. Fener Art tour with Mine was so nice and different experience about Istanbul. Mine is the guide I would recommend to all my friends and to very demanding guests as she have had answers to all our questions. Really great experience.The experience we’ll never forget

Kelli🇺🇸 United States

8 October 2021

While in Istanbul I booked the Fener & Balat tour with Mine and it was outstanding! She is knowledgeable, fun and we had such a good time viewing the colorful neighborhoods. She was even flexible when I wanted to stop for a morning snack since I had skipped breakfast. She shared insights about her town that made me feel like a local, too. Book this tour! :)Mine is the absolute best!

Pola🇹🇷 Turkey

1 July 2021

If you have an extra day or few hours where you really want to see the city, take this tour! Mine does an amazing job of mixing the religious and cultural history of the neighborhoods while also taking you down the charming streets, patiently accompanying you as you pop into a few shops or stop for coffee. You really feel like an old friend is showing you one of their favorite parts of their hometown. I loved it! Definitely do it.

Sue🇦🇺 Australia

11 March 2020

Mine was a breath of fresh air. So informative as Mine really knows her history, culture & accompanying mythology of this truly civilised city. Mine was also happy to laugh & share her experience as a resident of Istanbul. I highly recommend Mine & her walking tour of Balat. SueFun & informative

Julieta🇦🇷 Argentina

31 January 2020

Mine was an excellent guides. She not only gave us thorough info about the different areas and religions in Istanbul but also helped us move around in other parts of the city. We all enjoyed her company. I definitely recommend traveling with Mine!!!!Excellent tour in beautiful neighborhoods!

Jody

4 June 2025

Mine was clearly knowledgeable especially historically and politically. It was very interesting to talk with her. She packed a lot into the 3 hours, teaching us history and architecture. She didn’t take in our comments or appear that interested in what we had to say. That would be an improvement area for her. All in all, we appreciated the tour. Mine

Martin🇩🇰 Denmark

2 June 2025

Before the trip I had talked with her about what we would like to focus on and so she catered to this. Everything was with a smile and not once did she mention purchasing anything, only introduced us to places. All in all a good time and can highly recommend having a guide for a trip to the bazaarGrand Bazaar

Jacinta

1 June 2025

Mine is an excellent guide. Her knowledge is incredible & she is full of energy & enthusiasm for her role which makes the experience very enjoyable. Having a guide makes it so much easier to navigate around the many wonderful places to visit. Also, Mine’s recommendations for places to eat & shop were all great. Overall we had a wonderful time in Istanbul & I would definitely recommend Mine. 😻🤓😻

Kate🇺🇸 United States

29 May 2025

We had a great custom tour with Mine! She is very accommodating and pleasant to work with. She shared a lot of history and stories with us. We appreciate her expertise! It was our first time in Istanbul and she provided very helpful recommendations for us too. I strongly recommend doing a tour with Mine! It will be fun and educational. Mine is super knowledgable and kind!

John🇺🇸 United States

21 May 2025

It was raining when we met Mine and she made the most of it, adjusting our site while doing her best to keep us out of the rain. She left us at a great restaurant for lunch. Made the best of a rainy day in Istanbul

Kathleen🇺🇸 United States

18 May 2025

Offered flexibility with tour Great knowledge of history and local culture Has a sense of humor Knows the ins and outs of all attractions!Mine is the best

Julian

18 May 2025

Mine was very informative and keen to help us get what we wanted out of the visit, nothing was too much trouble. We really enjoyed the experience and it would have been a little overwhelming without her expert guidance!Fantastic introduction to the Grand Bazaar

Debra 🇨🇦 Canada

11 May 2025

Mine was our tour guide for the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. After asking about our needs, Mine crafted a wonderful tour ensuring we visited trusted sellers. Every stop was both a lovely visit with each vendor and a safe shopping experience for us. Without her guidance we would have been totally overwhelmed. Mine ensured the best use of our time and even got us on the right tram at the end of our tour. Mine was so considerate and knowledgeable, she’s simply the best! If you need a guide in Istanbul highly recommend Mine!Wonderful Day at the Grand Bazaar

Peter🇦🇺 Australia

10 May 2025

Mine is an experienced & knowledgeable guide. We were shown places we would have had no chance of finding on our own. Our time went very quickly but she covered the things we wanted to see.Grand Bazzar Experience

John

5 May 2025

I was delighted that Mine accepted my request to act as our personal tour guide for just me and Ros. She quite rightly split my list of places to visit into two x 4 hour sessions on consecutive days. This was to enable us to visit the Hagia Sophia Mosque and Topkapi Palace on 2nd May and The Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and the Archaeological Museum on 3rd May. Mine sensibly suggested an early start on 2nd May to avoid queuing behind large passenger numbers from a Cruise Ship. Very thoughtful. Unfortunately on our day 2 we were unable to go inside the Blue Mosque in order to avoid the very large crowd queuing. But we were able to spend more time in useful conversation with Mine outside, and more time in conversation with her at the Archaeological Museum. As a tour guide Mine was everything we wanted from a tour guide. She gave us excellent well-delivered information in a way that was easy to understand. It was clear she has an incredible amount of knowledge on the places we visited and was able to answer our questions. Above all she had a very friendly and professional approach and suggested and took many photographs of us that she forwarded to us at the end of what was our enjoyable time together. These will be great reminders of our enjoyable experience.Mine is an excellent tour guide

Karolina🇱🇹 Lithuania

4 May 2025

We have very good time together and very interesting tour :) We strongly recommend this guide if you want to have interesting time and a lot of to know, to see and to taste, good shopping and cultural experience. The best local guide

Katherine🇬🇧 United Kingdom

28 April 2025

I'd highly recommend Mine, she was a brilliant guide for our group of four, we learned so much about Istanbul's incredible rich history. She was hugely knowledgeable, full of great stories and anecdotes, well organised at the busy sites, friendly and really good fun. We had a great afternoon, thank you Mine! Excellent. Highly recommend!

Deborah

25 April 2025

We booked our tour of the bazaar with Mine and asked that she show us some genuine crafts people with a special emphasis on textiles. Mine came up trumps guiding us to places we would not have found on our own She also booked us on an excellent Lantern making workshop and escorted us to the venueA perfect match

Paula🇺🇸 United States

24 April 2025

1

My husband’s internist told him 5 days before our trip to Istanbul to cancel our trip until he had a particular test in a hospital setting on his heart to prevent an attack. My husband’s brother died one year ago with a heart attack at age 67 so we cancelled everything possible asap. Laura in the office said no financial refund because it was not 14 days out.??? Interesting since we only learned of this 14 day requirement in her email. There was nothing we could do anyway since our doctor only set up this appointment. If Withlocals wants a 14 cancellation day notice, then they should send a text around 16-18 days prior to the appointment as a reminder to cancel if necessary. This is a most upsetting experience.Terrible communication from your office.

Kimberly🇩🇪 Germany

10 April 2025

I can highly recommend booking a tour with Mine! She adapted the tour to our specific wishes and was super relaxed and fun. But she also is highly knowledgeable about Istanbul and took us to places we would have otherwise never have seen! I feel like we got an inside peek at some hidden gems. I appreciated that she loved the cats of Istanbul as much as I did, and let me take as many kitty photos as I liked. :) I am so glad we did the tour and would do it again! My friend and I are also leaving with some lovely treasures as well as wonderful memories of the city. Thanks Mine! A fantastic and FUN experience with Mine💕

Sabine

9 April 2025

In nur 3 Stunden haben wir enorm viel gesehen und über die Geschichte Istanbuls und auch das tägliche Leben erfahren. Mine hat ein enormes geschichtliches Wissen und vermittelt es interessant. Ausserdem organisiert sie die Eintritte, so dass keine Wartezeiten entstehen und beschenkte uns noch mit einem lokalen Gebäck. Zudem gab sie uns noch weitere Tipps, nie hätten wir gedacht so viel von Istanbul an einem Tag zu sehen. Herzlichen Dank Mine! Super

Rachel

25 March 2025

We had a fantastic tour experience with Mine. She was knowledgeable and attentive to our children’s every question. She introduced us to authentic shops and historic sights. I highly recommend her, especially if you have inquisitive children.Mine is a wonderful tour guide

Claudia🇳🇱 Netherlands

24 March 2025

Istanbul is an extraordinary city, a place where magic, history, and complexity intertwine in a unique balance. Every corner tells a story from the past, every artistic detail reveals the soul of an ancient culture. Thanks to Mine and her deep love for her city, I experienced something far beyond a simple visit…it was a true journey through time and traditions. Through her captivating stories and vast knowledge, I was able to immerse myself in the fascinating history of Istanbul, grasping nuances that I would have otherwise missed. But the experience didn’t stop at the iconic landmarks, Mine also guided us in discovering hidden and authentic spots, offering valuable tips on how to explore the city independently in the following days.A journey through history

Marianne

22 March 2025

I booked the Big Bazar tour because I was curious about the big bazar and I didn't want to go alone. I didn't realise that Mine is the only one who offers this tour. I vastly overestimated the appeal of the Bazar. History wise it's not that interesting. It was built to support the Mosque. The shops are kind of interesting to see because there is so much on offer. The places where they practice crafts are very much for the tourists. Mine takes you to all her favourite shops and is keen for you to buy something there. You go in and get shown the wares. Sometimes with the door closed. It made me feel highly uncomfortable. Everyone was friendly enough but I didn't want to buy anything so it led to disappointment on both sides. Mine is knowledgeable but I would not recommend this tour. I complained at With Locals and was very impressed with how they handled it. I would use them again but choose a different Local.Shopping in the Big Bazar

David🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

24 February 2025

My wife and I had an amazing three plus hours tour with Mine today visiting the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market and within each a curated collection of key stores where there was no pressure to buy. Lots of history and fokelore was shared. I’d highly recommend this tour and guide. Fantastic tour and guide

George🇦🇺 Australia

21 December 2024

It was obvious that Mine knew her stuff and she was passionate about her subject. Wherever we went, she told stories and shared information that brought the places to life. Beyond historical insights, Mine gave us very useful advice about navigating Istanbul itself and recommended a perfect restaurant for lunch after the three hours we spent with her. She gave us a wonderful insight into Istanbul.Ticked all the boxes

Noah🇺🇸 United States

14 December 2024

Mine was an excellent guide! Very knowledgeable, very engaged, and worked flexibly to make the tour fabulous. Excellwnr guide

Amanda

6 December 2024

So, it’s always difficult meeting someone for the first time, but Mine does this all the time and does it well, she has endless patience. She is packed with information and knowledge and is just really good at her job. She probably doesn’t realise that along with the insight and knowledge she imparts about the beautiful monuments , the snippets of Turkish life, like how her mother cuts baklava, just make it more real. Always choose a local. They live and love their history. No one’s perfect!

Kenneth🇺🇸 United States

25 November 2024

Mine was brilliant for my private guided tour. She was there before time, gave very clear instructions and her English is impeccable. I really enjoyed my tour of Topkapi Palace and the time seemed to fly past. My time in Türkiye was continuing by a road trip in a rental car. Mine arranged my tour of Ephesus with one of her friends. I can’t recommend her enough. She is first class.Exceptional guide

Steven🇺🇸 United States

20 November 2024

I booked a private tour for two with Mine (pronounced long I, short e) to see Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern. As these were the places we wanted to see. It was fantastic. I should note that she will customize the tour to match your request. Prior to and after booking, I had a number of questions and she responded quickly and clearly using the withlocals chat tool. Her background and expert knowledge provided us with a clear, historical description of each location and her English was excellent. She provided clear instructions how to get to our meeting location from the Cruise Port. Lastly, as a licensed guide, we were able to skip the line so we had very little wait time. When visiting Istanbul, I would highly recommend Mine as your tour guide.Excellent Tour/Guide-Highly Recommend Mine

William🇧🇪 Belgium

18 November 2024

We zijn 2 dagen met Mine op pad geweest door Istanbul. Mine verteld heel coherent en goed gedocumenteerd over de geschiedenis van Constantinopel / Istanbul. We kregen veel informatie met veel kennis ter zake gebracht. Mine is daarnaast ook een warme persoon voor mens en dier (ook de katten van istanbul zijn haar grootste fan).

Evie

12 November 2024

Mine was a wonderful guide! This tour is a great way to get acclimated to the enormous Grand Bazaar and Spice market, especially if you don't have lots of time. She asked what we were interested in and brought us to some great shops with quality goods but also reasonable pricing. Really appreciated her knowledge of history, art, and culture, and also her pointing out some unique aspects and historic shops. She gave us a great recommendation for lunch based on our interest. Insider experience

Charles🇺🇸 United States

28 October 2024

Mine did a great job with us. She was a wealth of information and insight. She enabled us to see the major sites we wanted to see and gave us so much background and historical information. She pointed us in the best position to get the clearest pictures. At the end, she provided us with a restaurant recommendation that we went to whose food and ambiance were truely outstanding. We would highly recommend Mine for anyone looking to hire a local guide.Mine was our rock star!

Jens

27 October 2024

Mine is an incredibly knowledgable guide. She guided us expertly through Istanbul highlights. She helped us efficiently past long lines and gave us unique insight into Istanbul’s dramatic history. She helped with booking meals and gave us great tips of places to go and things to do. We can highly recommend Mine. Regards Your 10 very satisfied Norwegian customersFantastic way to experience Istanbul

V🇩🇪 Germany

25 October 2024

Mine was on time and picked up my parents at the hotel. Unfortunately she was double booked on another day, and we were forced to find an alternative guide within 48 hours of the scheduled day. It wasn't her fault, but would have made for a better experience if that did not happen.Good guide, would recommend

John🇺🇸 United States

25 October 2024

Mine was excellent. She was extremely knowledgeable about history and art, and was even great for shopping tips in the Grand Bazaar. She was energetic, kind, and fun. We highly recommend her. Istanbul tour with Mine

Marianne🇺🇸 United States

22 October 2024

Mine was incredibly knowledgeable. She really organized the tour to suit our schedule. Would definitely choose her for another tour in Istanbul.Great Tour!

Jamie🇮🇪 Ireland

22 October 2024

What can I say.. Perfect tour from start to finish ! I booked a personal Highlights of Istanbul tour with Mine the night before, and to my delight was accepted. What a great choice of Tour guide, as Mine was absolutely wonderful. Her in depth knowledge of the local Art, Architecture and history was amazing. We packed a huge amount in and got to see many sites and mosques in just a few hours, as Mine is a registered Tour Guide, we got to bypass long ques and get almost instant access to various sites. I was also delighted to be shown some of Mine's personal favourites, including access to prayer time in one of the mosques. Mine speaks very good English, and made me feel comfortable and excited about our tour from the very start. If you are visiting Istanbul, don't hesitate to hire Mine for a few hours if you are lucky enough to have her available. 10 stars . Highly recommended 👌 -Jamie Dunne Littlefield.ie B&B, Ireland. 🇮🇪 Istanbul Highlights Tour

Lily

19 October 2024

It was one of the most wonderful experience with Mine, she was so knowledgeable and friendly. She took us through the different ages of the city, showing us places and things outside of your usual touristy “must-dos”. She was so well versed in art and history, we learned a lot about the city’s history and Islamic art in general. She even gave us recommendations on books to read up when we showed interest. I would recommend Mine and her tour to anyone coming to Istanbul for more than just tourism. A must for any art lovers

Julie🇬🇧 United Kingdom

14 October 2024

Good communication from Mine , where to meet. We had a fabulous morning shopping with Mine around the grand Bazaar/ spice market . Lots of hidden gems lots of history and knowledge. Was relaxed and we throughly enjoyed shopping experience. Highly recommend. Istanbul Shopping mayhem